1 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Well, hello and welcome to the famous Computer Cafe. 2 00:00:07,001 --> 00:00:11,000 We have a great show today and I want to introduce our players. 3 00:00:11,001 --> 00:00:13,001 First of all, we have Dr. Desk. 4 00:00:13,001 --> 00:00:14,000 How are you doing? 5 00:00:14,001 --> 00:00:15,001 Well, I'm fine, Nurse Allen. 6 00:00:16,001 --> 00:00:18,000 I love it when he calls me that. 7 00:00:18,001 --> 00:00:19,001 And who else is here? 8 00:00:19,001 --> 00:00:22,001 Well, Michael Walker is here who just came in out of the rain and of course 9 00:00:22,001 --> 00:00:25,000 it's one of those beautiful rain days. 10 00:00:25,001 --> 00:00:26,001 You know, it's not real heavy rain. 11 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,000 I like rainy days. 12 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,001 Well, Andy Belkoff is also here and he's just having a nice day. 13 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,001 Just a great time today here at the famous Computer Cafe. 14 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,000 I love to be with my friends. 15 00:00:36,001 --> 00:00:40,001 We are excited that Dr. Desk is here to answer all of your questions that you 16 00:00:40,001 --> 00:00:44,000 have about your computers, hardware, software, whatever. 17 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,000 You name it. 18 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Anything having to do with computers today no matter how 19 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,000 wild, we'll take it on, okay? 20 00:00:49,001 --> 00:00:50,001 Sure, we'll give it a try. 21 00:00:50,001 --> 00:00:51,000 That's right. 22 00:00:51,001 --> 00:00:54,001 Okay, today as always this week, today's your last day. 23 00:00:54,001 --> 00:00:58,001 All our callers will win a Winky, the computer friendship. 24 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,001 And if you want to see more about that, you can go visit the 25 00:01:01,001 --> 00:01:03,001 billboard that they have at Fun Sunset Boulevard. 26 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,000 And you will also be winning tickets. 27 00:01:06,001 --> 00:01:11,000 Two tickets for each caller to the second annual Computer Cellathon Expo 85 28 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,000 that's being held at the Shrine Exposition Hall on Saturday, February 9th. 29 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,000 That's tomorrow from 10 to 7 and on Sunday from 10 to 5. 30 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,001 You can get thousands of computer products for immediate purchase at 31 00:01:22,001 --> 00:01:24,000 low, low prices up to 50%. 32 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,001 So if any of you, all of you I know want to call, let me give you the numbers. 33 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,001 In Los Angeles, 628 KIEV. 34 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,001 In San Fernando Valley, 989 KIEV. 35 00:01:34,001 --> 00:01:37,000 Glendale Burbank, 956 KIEV. 36 00:01:37,001 --> 00:01:40,000 San Gabriel Valley, 443 KIEV. 37 00:01:40,001 --> 00:01:42,001 South Bay, 835 KIEV. 38 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,000 Orange County, 714 739 KIEV. 39 00:01:46,001 --> 00:01:49,000 And West LA, 837 KIEV. 40 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,000 We will be right back with some news and then Dr. Disk after these messages. 41 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,000 Start with the world's best selling database system. 42 00:02:08,001 --> 00:02:12,000 Give it enhanced features to make it faster, more powerful and easier to use. 43 00:02:12,001 --> 00:02:15,000 And you have the makings of a software heavyweight. 44 00:02:15,001 --> 00:02:19,001 DBase 3, Ashton Tate's hot new package for your 16-bit PC. 45 00:02:20,001 --> 00:02:26,000 With DBase 3, you can create records with up to 128 fields, access 10 files at 46 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,001 once and run other programs like communications or word processing 47 00:02:29,001 --> 00:02:31,000 without leaving DBase 3. 48 00:02:31,001 --> 00:02:36,000 You can read non-DBase files from other software programs or mainframe databases. 49 00:02:36,001 --> 00:02:40,001 And you can easily convert your DBase 2 files and programs to DBase 3. 50 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,001 If you get stuck, help is at your fingertips with multiple help screens. 51 00:02:45,001 --> 00:02:47,001 And where do you go to see this powerful new program? 52 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,001 Go see David and Betty Sun at Sun Computers in the city of Carson. 53 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,001 They'll tell you what you need to know about DBase 3 and more. 54 00:02:56,001 --> 00:03:01,000 Sun Computers is located at 20925 South Benita in Carson. 55 00:03:01,001 --> 00:03:05,000 Or call 213-538-8338. 56 00:03:05,001 --> 00:03:09,000 That's 213-538-8338. 57 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 Sun Computers in Carson. A soft sell dealer. 58 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,000 A partner. What is it? I never really thought about it much. 59 00:03:17,001 --> 00:03:20,001 But I guess a partner is someone who shares the burdens 60 00:03:20,001 --> 00:03:22,000 and rewards of your business with you. 61 00:03:22,001 --> 00:03:24,000 A partner does some things better than you do. 62 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,000 Even does some things you can't do at all. That's why you're partners. 63 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,001 You balance each other out. Without my partner, I never could have made it. 64 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,001 I really think the secret to a successful business is a successful partnership. 65 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,001 This word about partners has been brought to you by Star Software Systems. 66 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:44,000 Makers of the Accounting Partner. 67 00:03:44,001 --> 00:03:48,000 The Accounting Partner. A complete sophisticated accounting package, 68 00:03:48,001 --> 00:03:50,000 specially designed for small businesses. 69 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,001 The Accounting Partner includes general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts 70 00:03:54,001 --> 00:03:57,000 payable, invoicing, purchase orders and payroll. 71 00:03:57,001 --> 00:04:00,000 All for a very affordable $395. 72 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,000 The Accounting Partner by Star Software Systems is 73 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,001 available at the Federated Group. 74 00:04:05,001 --> 00:04:10,001 The Federated Group is located in Temple City, West LA, Torrance, Cerritos, 75 00:04:10,001 --> 00:04:14,001 Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo and La Puente. This message is sponsored 76 00:04:14,001 --> 00:04:16,000 by Soft Team Distributors. 77 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,001 Well, hi. This is Andy and I'm here at the news corner at the famous Computer 78 00:04:22,001 --> 00:04:26,001 Cafe talking about what's new today in the world of personal computing. 79 00:04:26,001 --> 00:04:31,001 Well, first of all, eight former employees filed a $50 million class action suit 80 00:04:31,001 --> 00:04:36,000 against Atari and its parent company, Warner Communications reported in the San 81 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,000 Francisco Chronicle representing a potential class of 1 82 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,000 ,200 former white collar workers. 83 00:04:41,001 --> 00:04:46,001 The lawsuit asked for actual damages of $25,000 per worker plus about $25 84 00:04:46,001 --> 00:04:48,000 million in punitive damages. 85 00:04:48,001 --> 00:04:52,001 The suit charges at Atari and Warner misled employees about job security during 86 00:04:52,001 --> 00:04:57,000 the period Atari was being sold to former Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel. 87 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,001 James Copeland, vice president of marketing at Atari, said that 88 00:05:01,001 --> 00:05:03,000 this lawsuit was without merit. 89 00:05:03,001 --> 00:05:07,000 He commented, this is one that sounds like it's right out of Alice in 90 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,000 Wonderland, as reported in the Chronicle. 91 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:15,000 Digital Equipment Corporation officials said their firm will invest $4 million in 92 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,000 high technology products sponsored by the European Community, Reuters News 93 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:24,001 Service in Brussels reported. According to Reuters, Bruno Devanzo, the company's 94 00:05:24,001 --> 00:05:28,000 vice president of marketing in Europe, told journalists the expected results of a 95 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,001 consortium project would make it easier for the European industry to implement 96 00:05:31,001 --> 00:05:33,001 computer integrated manufacturing. 97 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,001 Jonathan Sacks, co-founder of Lotus Development Corporation, announced his 98 00:05:38,001 --> 00:05:42,000 resignation from the company. Sacks, who personally authored the best-selling 99 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,000 Lotus 123 integrated software package, will continue to work 100 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:47,001 for the firm as a consultant. 101 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,001 Well, Eastman Kodak Company took its first step into the computer peripheral 102 00:05:52,001 --> 00:05:54,001 components field. 103 00:05:54,001 --> 00:05:59,001 The Rochester New York company said it will begin making magnetic recording heads 104 00:05:59,001 --> 00:06:06,001 for disk drives soon. Well, talk about combining new and 105 00:06:06,001 --> 00:06:10,001 old technology. A New York man has developed a flat computer screen that can 106 00:06:10,001 --> 00:06:15,000 replace the lid on a photocopy machine or serve as a display for a personal 107 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:22,000 computer. Developer Demis A. Crusos told Beth Kirsh of Inc. Magazine that with 108 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,000 this invention a document can be sent directly from the computer to a display on 109 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,000 the underside of the copier lid and the number of copies you could produce would 110 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,000 be limited only by the speed of the copier in your office. Well, that's it for 111 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,000 the news here at the Thames Computer Cafe. We're going to take a break and 112 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,000 afterwards, no, we're not going to take a break, we're going to go right to the 113 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,001 bulletin board. And Dr. Disk has something on the bulletin board here. 114 00:06:45,001 --> 00:06:51,001 Yeah, Andy, I have three very interesting phone numbers. The original Apple Core 115 00:06:51,001 --> 00:06:57,000 users group meets on the campus of UCLA in the chemistry building. If you're 116 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,000 interested in Apple computers, you're definitely invited to attend. For more 117 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:06,000 information, please call Fred Duffy at area 213-396 118 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:13,000 -5515. That's 213-396-5515. 119 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:18,000 And that meeting is this Sunday, folks, this Sunday for the Apple, original Apple 120 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,001 Core. And, you know, tell Duffy we said hello here at the Bemis 121 00:07:20,001 --> 00:07:22,001 Computer Cafe. Duffy's a big fan of ours. 122 00:07:22,001 --> 00:07:26,000 Hi, Duffy. Okay, we are going to be right back after these messages. 123 00:07:36,001 --> 00:07:41,001 If Lotus had given you just one, one, a spreadsheet that's up to 50 times faster 124 00:07:41,001 --> 00:07:45,001 than other spreadsheets, with every statistical and financial formula you'll ever 125 00:07:45,001 --> 00:07:50,000 need, and the largest workspace on the market, that would have been enough. And 126 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,001 if Lotus had given you just two, two, information management to store and 127 00:07:54,001 --> 00:07:59,000 organize information with the ability to cross index over 2,000 records by 32 128 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:04,000 criteria and use information from other programs and computer systems, that would 129 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,001 have been enough. And if Lotus had given you just three, three graphics to graph 130 00:08:08,001 --> 00:08:12,001 information from your spreadsheet in less than two seconds and change that 131 00:08:12,001 --> 00:08:17,000 information, touch a key, and graph the new results instantly. Graphics as a 132 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:21,001 thinking tool. That would have been enough. But Lotus has given you more. Text 133 00:08:21,001 --> 00:08:26,001 editing, tutorials, a help key, and a host of features which give Lotus 123 its 134 00:08:26,001 --> 00:08:33,000 power and simplicity. Lotus 123 is available at the software spot, 10977 Santa 135 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:39,001 Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles, or phone 213-477-7561. 136 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:46,001 That's 213-477-7561. The software spot. The oldest independently owned and 137 00:08:46,001 --> 00:08:51,000 operated software store in Los Angeles. A soft sell dealer. One day at the 138 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,000 office. Here you are, Mr. Smithers. All the information you requested. As you can 139 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,000 see here, Department 42 increased production by 32% with a 6 140 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,001 % seasonal adjustment in the fourth quarter. 141 00:08:59,001 --> 00:09:02,001 Wilson, this is garbage. I can't understand any of it. Come 142 00:09:02,001 --> 00:09:04,000 back when you can show me the big picture. 143 00:09:04,001 --> 00:09:09,000 One month later. Here, Mr. Smithers. All the information in concise graphs. I 144 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,001 think it's much easier to understand. Too little, too late, Wilson. I needed this 145 00:09:12,001 --> 00:09:17,001 three weeks ago. You're fired. This has been a graphic demonstration of the 146 00:09:17,001 --> 00:09:21,000 importance of business graphics and getting your point across. Graph Rider by 147 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,001 Graphic Communications is software that provides all the capabilities required to 148 00:09:25,001 --> 00:09:29,000 quickly produce every standard chart used in business reports to the business 149 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:34,001 person smart enough to use it. Graph Rider by Graphic Communications for the big 150 00:09:34,001 --> 00:09:37,000 picture. And of course, Graph Rider is available at 151 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Pathfinder Business and Computer Centers. 152 00:09:39,001 --> 00:09:45,000 In Los Angeles, Pathfinder is located at 12036 Wilshire Boulevard. Or call 153 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,000 207-0244. 154 00:09:57,001 --> 00:10:02,001 That's Ellen. And we're here with Dr. Dis. Hello. I'm fine. I'm fine. That's 155 00:10:02,001 --> 00:10:06,000 good. First thing I want to do before we take calls. I know you've got lots of 156 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,001 you out there. We're going to go to the calls right away. I want to mention to 157 00:10:09,001 --> 00:10:14,000 the doctor. We had a guy call yesterday who wanted to know if there was a book 158 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,000 that he could find that would make his Commodore easier to use. He couldn't get 159 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,001 through the Commodore user's manual. He felt that was too complicated. What would 160 00:10:21,001 --> 00:10:26,000 you recommend for somebody like that? Well, there are third-party books written 161 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,000 about all the different personal computers. 162 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,000 But basically, if he's having problems getting through the user guide, I'd 163 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,001 suggest he hire a consultant or find a very good friend that knows the 164 00:10:36,001 --> 00:10:38,001 Commodore. Or possibly go to a user group. 165 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,000 Might be another idea. Yeah. A user group would be an excellent 166 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,001 idea. The Commodore user group. 167 00:10:43,001 --> 00:10:46,001 Let's see. We had that number somewhere. We'll find that by the end of the show. 168 00:10:47,001 --> 00:10:51,000 Okay. Let's go to our first caller. Hi. You have a question for 169 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:52,001 Dr. Diske? Yes, I do. Hello. 170 00:10:53,001 --> 00:10:59,000 I wondered, is there any feeling that you have as to the difference in quality or 171 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:04,000 reliability between the lower-priced computers such as Atari's and Commodore's 172 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,000 and the IBM's, the higher-priced machines? Okay. What you're getting when you 173 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,001 start moving up the price range is power in the machine and the amount of work 174 00:11:13,001 --> 00:11:18,000 that it can actually do. As far as reliability, I would say they're all about as 175 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:24,000 reliable as one another as far as storage and so on. But when you move past the 176 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,000 thousand dollar range, say, and you get out of PC juniors and Apple C's and so 177 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,000 on, you're getting into a true business machine, which may be more than you want 178 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,000 for home use. If you're going to balance your checkbook and play games, stay with 179 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:37,001 something inexpensive. It'll do it fine. 180 00:11:38,001 --> 00:11:40,001 But you really feel that the reliability is about the same? 181 00:11:40,001 --> 00:11:42,001 Yeah. The reliability is about the same. 182 00:11:42,001 --> 00:11:46,000 They use the basic technology. It's basically what you're getting into, 183 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:51,001 sophistication and memory size, and how much the machine can actually function 184 00:11:51,001 --> 00:11:53,001 with an application software. 185 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,001 Larry, what would you be using your computer 186 00:11:56,001 --> 00:11:59,000 for? Why do you ask, I guess, is the question? 187 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,001 I'm particularly interested right now. I'm looking around at disk drives. I 188 00:12:02,001 --> 00:12:06,001 wondered if I were to get a disk drive for an Atari or a Commodore. Am I getting 189 00:12:06,001 --> 00:12:11,000 the same quality kind of mechanical, electrical construction as I would, for 190 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,001 example, in a maybe more expensive one? 191 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,001 Okay, as far as particular hardware is 192 00:12:16,001 --> 00:12:18,001 concerned, you get exactly what you pay for. 193 00:12:18,001 --> 00:12:25,000 You buy a cheap drive, the reliability is going to drop. So if I were you, it's 194 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,001 kind of like speakers in a stereo. You want to spend your money there so you 195 00:12:28,001 --> 00:12:30,000 get good reliability. Sure. 196 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,001 Okay, thanks for calling, Larry. Thank you very much. Take our next call. Hi, 197 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:39,001 John. You're on the air. You have a question for the doctor? Yes, I live in a 198 00:12:39,001 --> 00:12:46,000 house that is an old house, gets 40 amps, and that 40 amps is 199 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:52,000 divided between two houses. And so, as a consequence, you throw a light switch 200 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:57,001 and all that. Okay, what you need, I can anticipate your question already, is 201 00:12:57,001 --> 00:13:03,000 something called a surge protector. You can also get uninterruptible power 202 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:08,000 sources. Now, those are relatively expensive. Okay, they're actually very 203 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:14,001 expensive. But a surge protector should run you around $100 or less for 204 00:13:14,001 --> 00:13:19,000 a good one, and that will prevent that problem when you're sitting in front of 205 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:23,000 your PC and your wife turns on the dining room light and the PC goes down. It'll 206 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,000 stop that sort of thing. Doctor, for the benefit of our other listeners out 207 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,001 there, what is the surge protector used for and what would it avoid? All right, 208 00:13:30,001 --> 00:13:34,001 when your power comes into your house, it's not nice, clean, uninterrupted power. 209 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,001 It comes in in little bits, pieces, surges, which are a large increase of power 210 00:13:39,001 --> 00:13:45,000 over a very short time, and those are lethal to a personal computer. And a surge 211 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:50,000 protector helps smooth that all out so the PC gets uninterrupted power. What kind 212 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:56,001 of problems have you experienced, John? Well, just, well, when I had my Texas 213 00:13:56,001 --> 00:14:03,001 instrument, it would, the TV screen would dim and I've never lost any data 214 00:14:03,001 --> 00:14:09,000 on that, but I anticipate the day that something like that might happen. Yeah, 215 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:16,000 the, I know in my office, I have to put an anti-static mat on the desk, because 216 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,000 if I touch the box, I have a PC, and if I touch the box, I'll get a parity check, 217 00:14:20,001 --> 00:14:24,000 and I've lost everything in memory. That's just because of static electricity. 218 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:30,000 And if you look for something like a lemon or an orange or a lime, these are 219 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:35,001 brand names. They're run around $100, and they're very reliable, and they should 220 00:14:35,001 --> 00:14:41,000 help stop that dimming problem for you. Well, what kind of features should I look 221 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,000 for in one? One of the things you want to look for is an on-off light to make 222 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,001 sure you know the surge protector is working. That's rather important. And 223 00:14:48,001 --> 00:14:52,001 usually they come with a switch, so it serves as a master switch for your entire 224 00:14:52,001 --> 00:14:55,000 system. Okay, thanks very much for calling. 225 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,001 I'm going to take our next caller. Hi, Ray, you have a question for the doctor? 226 00:14:59,001 --> 00:15:05,001 Yes, I noticed when I do a check disk on my hard drive, I find that I've got a 227 00:15:05,001 --> 00:15:12,000 couple of files that they say are non-contiguous, and my question is concerning 228 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:18,001 fragmentation. I want to know at what point do those non-contiguous files 229 00:15:18,001 --> 00:15:25,001 degrade the ability of the disk to work, and when is it necessary to 230 00:15:25,001 --> 00:15:31,001 back up? When does the fragmentation become a deterrent? Okay, what was your name 231 00:15:31,001 --> 00:15:35,001 again? I'm sorry, Ray? Okay, what happens is just so I can explain real briefly, 232 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000 fragmentation is when your files are broken up over the recording medium of the 233 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,001 hard disk into various, they're called sectors. 234 00:15:42,001 --> 00:15:47,001 Now what happens is it starts slowing down the response of the machine because it 235 00:15:47,001 --> 00:15:53,001 has to look all over to find the entire file. What you might want to look into is 236 00:15:53,001 --> 00:16:00,000 Norton Utilities. His new version 3.0 has a version 237 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,001 for external hard disks, and he can help you get rid of fragmented files 238 00:16:04,001 --> 00:16:08,001 completely. You can pull out all the different sectors and put them back into one 239 00:16:08,001 --> 00:16:13,000 contiguous file. Contiguous means that they're all joined together. Like in the 240 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:18,000 United States you have 48 contiguous states. Isn't it possible to get rid of the 241 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:22,001 fragmentation simply by using the backup command on the lobbies and then putting 242 00:16:22,001 --> 00:16:27,001 them back on? No, actually I don't think that's a reliable way. You may have it 243 00:16:27,001 --> 00:16:32,001 happen by pure chance, but backup makes a mirror image only compressed of what 244 00:16:32,001 --> 00:16:36,001 you have on your hard disk, and then when you restore it you'll have a mirror 245 00:16:36,001 --> 00:16:39,001 image of what you had when you backed it up. So they'll still be non-contiguous. 246 00:16:40,001 --> 00:16:44,001 The chances are very good that they will. Now sometimes it will pick that up, but 247 00:16:44,001 --> 00:16:47,000 it's not a reliable way to do it. Gotcha. 248 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Okay, thank you very much. We've got to take some more calls, okay? All right. 249 00:16:51,001 --> 00:16:55,000 Thank you. We're going to go to our next caller. Take one more call. Hi, David, 250 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,001 you're on the line. You have a question for the doctor? Yes, I have a question 251 00:16:57,001 --> 00:17:02,000 for you or the doctor. Okay, go ahead. I have an IBM PC. 252 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,000 Right. I'm trying to find out whether I could obtain a memory map for it. 253 00:17:06,001 --> 00:17:11,000 A memory map? Right. Okay, the best place to get the memory map for an IBM PC is 254 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:17,000 the IBM PC Technical Reference Manual. You can get one of those at most computer 255 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:22,000 stores or check the IBM product center. Doctor, what's a memory map? A memory map 256 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:27,000 shows you all the locations of your internal or RAM memory by hexadecimal 257 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:31,001 equivalents so that if you're programming in either machine or in basic, you can 258 00:17:31,001 --> 00:17:35,001 use the hexadecimal to go to a particular point in memory, which sometimes you 259 00:17:35,001 --> 00:17:40,001 may want to do. Are you a programmer, David? Yes. Check the reference manual. You 260 00:17:40,001 --> 00:17:44,000 can get that through the IBM product center for sure and probably 261 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,001 some other larger computer stores. 262 00:17:45,001 --> 00:17:50,001 All right. I also have a question. I want to obtain a relatively inexpensive DC 263 00:17:50,001 --> 00:17:56,001 wheel printer for the IBM PC. I was looking somewhere in the $300 to $500 range 264 00:17:56,001 --> 00:18:00,001 to make a recommendation. Okay, I think your best bet for that would be to get 265 00:18:00,001 --> 00:18:02,000 the IBM PC graphics printer. 266 00:18:02,001 --> 00:18:06,001 It's actually made by Epson, marketed by IBM, and it will print the 267 00:18:06,001 --> 00:18:08,000 entire ASCII character set. 268 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,001 Is that actually a DC wheel printer? No, 269 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:12,001 excuse me. That's a dot matrix. You're right. 270 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:18,000 Daisy wheel. Hmm. Daisy wheel is a letter quality printer that prints exactly 271 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:24,001 like a typewriter, a fully formed character. I'm not really good on recommending 272 00:18:24,001 --> 00:18:29,000 different pieces of hardware at that price range. Sorry. All right. We'll look 273 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,001 into it. If we find out something, we'll let you know. Okay? Thank you, Ellen. 274 00:18:32,001 --> 00:18:34,001 Okay. We're going to take a message and we'll be back 275 00:18:34,001 --> 00:18:36,000 with all the other calls when we get back. 276 00:18:44,001 --> 00:18:51,001 Welcome to Computer Suitor. Today, Bachelorette Software, SAMNA Word 3 asks 277 00:18:51,001 --> 00:18:55,000 the big question. Bachelor number one, what do you want in the perfect word 278 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,000 processor? I want a word processor that handles different languages, French, 279 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,001 German, Spanish, and even Greek. Oh, pat problem. Bachelor number two? I don't 280 00:19:03,001 --> 00:19:08,000 know if I can see this on the air, but I'm crazy about word processors with a 281 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,001 zoom feature. I like a miniature picture of the whole page so I can see margins 282 00:19:12,001 --> 00:19:16,000 and centering. A different perspective. Bachelor number three? 283 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:21,000 I want five function math mode, the ability to do line drawings, easy cursor 284 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:26,001 control, and spell checking. I want it all. Well, this is difficult. I do all 285 00:19:26,001 --> 00:19:30,001 those things. Having a hard time picking the best word processing program? Pick 286 00:19:30,001 --> 00:19:37,001 SAMNA Word 3. SAMNA Word 3 is available at priority one, located at 9161 287 00:19:37,001 --> 00:19:44,000 Deering Avenue in Chatsworth or call 818-709-6789. That's 288 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,001 818-709-6789. 289 00:19:47,001 --> 00:19:51,000 This message is sponsored by Soft Team Distributors. 290 00:19:53,001 --> 00:19:58,001 Okay, let's take another caller. Hello, this is the doctor. How are 291 00:19:58,001 --> 00:20:00,001 you? Fine, is this Beverly? Yes. 292 00:20:00,001 --> 00:20:05,000 Hi, what's your question? I'm just going to buy a computer, but I wanted to know 293 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:09,001 which is better, a green screen or an amber screen? Well, actually, 294 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,000 I don't think there's a whole lot of difference. 295 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:18,000 It's major, mostly personal preference. Now, I know in Europe, most companies use 296 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:23,000 amber screens, whereas here we seem to use the green on black. I would say just 297 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,000 go to your computer store, sit in front of the thing for a while, not just five 298 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,000 or ten minutes, and see how you feel. Okay, I'll try it. 299 00:20:30,001 --> 00:20:33,001 Good. Thanks a lot. Doctor, is there a price difference usually between those 300 00:20:33,001 --> 00:20:37,000 two? No, I have not seen one really. It just depends on how you want it 301 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,000 configured. Great. Okay, we'll take our next call. 302 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:45,000 Hello. Hello, this is the doctor? Yes, it is. Hi, this is Ann. Hi, Ann. Hi, how 303 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:50,001 are you? I have a Commodore 64, and I would like to know if the new Commodore 304 00:20:50,001 --> 00:20:55,001 coming out, the 128, is going to be any different if it's worth the investment, 305 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,000 because all I do is use it for household things like balancing checkbooks and 306 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,000 things like that. Interesting, you should ask. I just read an article today by 307 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:09,001 Mr. Dvorak, where he gave Commodore the dubious upgrade of the year award. 308 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:15,001 Really? I don't really know. I haven't seen a 128 yet, so I would suggest holding 309 00:21:15,001 --> 00:21:20,001 off and going and checking it out very carefully. So you don't really see any 310 00:21:20,001 --> 00:21:25,001 really big... Unless you're having problems now, where you're coming in with too 311 00:21:25,001 --> 00:21:28,001 little memory, if it works, why fix it? Right, you're right. 312 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:33,000 It's a great machine, but maybe I'll wait until they upgrade a third time and 313 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,001 then go... I would say that would probably be a better bet. Great, 314 00:21:35,001 --> 00:21:37,000 thank you very much. Oh, you're more than welcome. 315 00:21:37,001 --> 00:21:43,001 Bye-bye. Bye. Hello. Hello. Is this Patrick? Yes. Good, this is the doctor. 316 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:50,000 Yes, I have a similar question to a previous caller about the resolution and so 317 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:57,000 on, and I noticed as I've gone around to try out different computers 318 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:03,001 and screens that I would find my eyes getting a little tired after being near 15 319 00:22:03,001 --> 00:22:06,001 -20 minutes or so in front of the screen. Very common. 320 00:22:07,001 --> 00:22:09,000 That's very common? Yes, it is. 321 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,001 In fact, I think they should give a bottle of Ben Gay and a bottle of 322 00:22:13,001 --> 00:22:15,000 Visine with every computer sold. 323 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:21,001 I don't know what you can do about that. If you look at a monochrome screen, one 324 00:22:21,001 --> 00:22:26,000 thing you want to look for is an anti-glare screen, either built into the monitor 325 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,000 or one that you put in front of it. That takes away all this glare from the 326 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,001 fluorescent lights and stuff around you. Okay. 327 00:22:32,001 --> 00:22:37,000 And just look for the highest resolution that you can basically afford. 328 00:22:38,001 --> 00:22:42,000 The higher the resolution, the bigger the price tag. That's kind of the way 329 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,001 it goes. I see. Okay. 330 00:22:43,001 --> 00:22:50,001 What would be in a mid-range resolution, a price in the mid-range? 331 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:57,001 I've seen good ones for about 150 up to about 300 that you could sit in front of 332 00:22:57,001 --> 00:23:01,000 for a while without beating your face. 333 00:23:01,001 --> 00:23:07,001 Thanks for calling. Hello. Oh. Hi, this is the doctor. Is this 334 00:23:07,001 --> 00:23:09,001 Bob? Yes, Bob, right? Oh, great. 335 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:16,001 Go ahead. Okay. I have a Columbia, which is an IBM compatible, and on some of the 336 00:23:16,001 --> 00:23:20,000 software I have, I've got to go back and forth between MS-DOS and then two disk 337 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,000 drives and data and so forth. And so I was wondering about, you know, both the 338 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:27,001 hard drives, which are seen to be coming down in price, external, and you were 339 00:23:27,001 --> 00:23:33,000 talking about micro-dives the other day. So maybe I can get all of them on, you 340 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:37,001 know, on the main drive and what you're feeling is about internal or external, 341 00:23:37,001 --> 00:23:43,000 you know, hard disks. Tired of the disk at shuffle, huh? 342 00:23:43,001 --> 00:23:47,001 Okay. I like external hard drives for the simple reason that if the hard drive 343 00:23:47,001 --> 00:23:51,001 goes down, I can unplug it, take it to the store, and I still have my PC to use. 344 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,001 That's basically the only reason, the only difference I've seen between the two. 345 00:23:56,001 --> 00:24:01,001 Access speed is so, the difference is so negligible, I don't think you'd notice 346 00:24:01,001 --> 00:24:08,001 it. But, oh yeah, the externals always have separate 347 00:24:08,001 --> 00:24:12,000 power supplies, and one of the things you may want to watch for, I'm glad you 348 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,001 mentioned that, on an internal drive is that you don't overload your machine. If 349 00:24:16,001 --> 00:24:20,000 you start putting a hard drive in, and you've got the machine fully loaded with 350 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,000 all the goodies, you could run into a power problem, and then you'd have to 351 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:29,001 upgrade your power supply. One thing I'd like to mention for you and anyone else 352 00:24:29,001 --> 00:24:33,000 who's got this is be sure when you get a hard drive to back 353 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:34,001 it up on a regular basis. 354 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,000 Because remember, you're going to have all your information in there, so you're 355 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,000 not losing just one diskette, you're losing the whole shot. So make sure you back 356 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:46,001 it up. Okay, thanks a lot for your call. We're going to take our next caller. Hi. 357 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,001 Hello? Hello? Yes, my name is Gary Mitchell. 358 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:56,000 Okay, Gary. And I have a PC jr. Yeah. I'm interested in a light pin, and IBM 359 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,000 having came out with their light pin for the PC jr. I'd like to know, can you 360 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:03,000 tell me anybody else that would support it? I like pin for the jr. Hmm, who 361 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,000 supports the light, you mean as far as software? 362 00:25:05,001 --> 00:25:09,001 Yeah. Okay, what do you want to do with it? Well, really, I just want a light pin 363 00:25:09,001 --> 00:25:14,001 that I could be able to draw graphics and things like that. Uh, I'm not, 364 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,001 I'll have to look into that for you, Gary. 365 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:21,000 Okay, can you listen next week, and I'll uh, I'll look into some software, and I 366 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,001 have some ideas, but I'm not sure. Okay. All right, so I'll check that out, and 367 00:25:25,001 --> 00:25:29,001 I'll let you know next week. Okay, good. Thanks for calling, Gary. Okay, I think 368 00:25:29,001 --> 00:25:35,000 we got time for a few more calls. Hi, you're on the air. Yeah, this is Kurt. Hi, 369 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:39,000 Kurt. Hi, a couple of very quick questions. First of all, uh, do you know much 370 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:44,000 about, uh, ProDos? A little bit. Okay, uh, how do you find out, for instance, 371 00:25:44,001 --> 00:25:49,001 what, uh, a range error is? It seems difficult to find good manual support for 372 00:25:49,001 --> 00:25:55,000 ProDos, and especially, I'm a blind person, and we have a topic in a ProDos. Mm 373 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,000 -hmm. [...] and we use the Echo 2, but it's very difficult to find out what's 374 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:04,000 going on as far as what a particular error code is. How do you find it out? Oh, 375 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:11,000 dear. Uh, I don't know. I've had, um, unfortunately, I've 376 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,000 never had an experience with working with the synthesizer and that sort of 377 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:19,000 application. Um, I'm afraid I'll have to defer you to next week, if that's all 378 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,000 right, because I'd like to look into that. That's an interesting question. Okay, 379 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,001 what we're doing is converting, uh, Apple, uh, is, uh, DOS 3.3 to ProDos. Mm-hmm. 380 00:26:26,001 --> 00:26:30,001 And finding that you get, that it's a lot more, uh, picky about file opening and 381 00:26:30,001 --> 00:26:32,001 closing. Yes, it is very touchy. 382 00:26:32,001 --> 00:26:37,000 Very difficult to get programs that are converted to, uh, to run, and, uh, 383 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:43,000 usually we end up with a rager, and it says files, uh, still open. Mm-hmm. Okay, 384 00:26:43,001 --> 00:26:48,000 you might want to check at the, uh, the Apple Users Group that we had the number 385 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:53,001 earlier on in the show here. See if I can find it again. Um, where was it? Oh, 386 00:26:53,001 --> 00:27:00,000 here it is. You might want to check this number, uh, Kurt. It's, uh, area 213-396 387 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,000 -5515, and ask for our friend Fred Duffy. Okay, do you have anything 388 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,000 in, in, uh, in the Orange County area? 389 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,000 Um, if we do, we don't with us right now, but we will check on that, and if you 390 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,001 listen next week, I'll try to remember to give it to you on Monday, okay? Okay, 391 00:27:14,001 --> 00:27:19,000 that was 396-5515. That's it. Okay, thank you very much. Okay, I'm afraid we're, 392 00:27:19,001 --> 00:27:23,000 we can take one more quick, quick call. Hi, this is, uh, you're on the air. Is 393 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:27,001 this Don? Yes. Hi, Don. Okay, I'm looking for, I have a small business, I'm 394 00:27:27,001 --> 00:27:31,001 looking for a, uh, computerized, uh, time clock system that will, 395 00:27:31,001 --> 00:27:34,000 uh, calculate all the times. 396 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:39,000 Aha. In, uh, a couple of weeks ago in PC Week, there was an article about just 397 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:44,001 such a system being developed for the IBM PC. Um, I would suggest that you try 398 00:27:44,001 --> 00:27:49,000 and find a back issue of PC Week, and I will try and find it for you for next 399 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,001 week, and it does exactly what you're looking for. 400 00:27:52,001 --> 00:27:56,001 We don't have time, I'm sorry. Well, we'll, listen next week, and we'll have your 401 00:27:56,001 --> 00:27:58,001 answer for you, okay? Gotta go to a 402 00:27:58,001 --> 00:28:00,000 message, and then we'll be back with our wrap-up. 403 00:28:04,001 --> 00:28:09,000 SuperCalc 3 by Sorsum is a spreadsheet that's extremely easy to use, swift, and 404 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:13,000 powerful, and it's priced lower than most other leading spreadsheet programs. 405 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,001 SuperCalc 3 has all the built-in functions expected in a high-quality 406 00:28:17,001 --> 00:28:22,001 spreadsheet, and a lot more. SuperCalc 3's features include an on-screen help 407 00:28:22,001 --> 00:28:27,001 function, spreadsheet consolidation and sorting capabilities, calendar and date 408 00:28:27,001 --> 00:28:32,000 calculations, simple data management, functions, and windowing. The integrated 409 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:36,001 graphics capability is superbly presented, allowing plotting and printing of 410 00:28:36,001 --> 00:28:41,000 charts in up to 99 colors. SuperCalc 3 provides you with the ability to create 411 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:46,001 pie charts, bar charts, line charts, and xy graphs. The graphics are integrated 412 00:28:46,001 --> 00:28:51,000 into the command structure, so once you learn SuperCalc 3, plotting and graphing 413 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:55,000 the results of your calculations is as easy as pie. To get a taste of the 414 00:28:55,000 --> 00:29:00,000 simplicity and power of SuperCalc 3, walk into Simply Software, where they'd love 415 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:05,000 to whip up a quick demonstration. Simply Software is located at 3001 Sepulveda 416 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:11,001 Boulevard in Manhattan Beach, or call 213-546-2467. That's 213 417 00:29:11,001 --> 00:29:18,001 -546-2467. Simply Software, a soft-cell dealer. Well, Doc, 418 00:29:18,001 --> 00:29:22,001 thanks for being here. Oh, thank you. I'd like to thank everyone who called in. 419 00:29:22,001 --> 00:29:26,001 Sorry we couldn't answer all the phone calls. Very sorry. This is Michael. I got 420 00:29:26,001 --> 00:29:30,001 to tell you guys, it's incredible how many people want to ask you questions. They 421 00:29:30,001 --> 00:29:34,001 will be here next week. Every Friday. Every Friday the doctor will be here. Next 422 00:29:34,001 --> 00:29:37,001 Friday, of course, Monday we have Jim Holmes. He'll be talking about user's 423 00:29:37,001 --> 00:29:41,000 groups. Tuesday, John Rees, the president of Trommox, talking about home banking. 424 00:29:41,001 --> 00:29:46,001 Wednesday, author Ray Bradbury talking about Fahrenheit 451, which is his book 425 00:29:46,001 --> 00:29:51,000 made into a computer game. Thursday, Tony Snead talking about TASNET, multi-level 426 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,001 software marketing. And of course, Friday, Dr. Disk. So thanks folks. And we'll 427 00:29:56,001 --> 00:29:59,001 be giving away some great Spinnaker software next week, including 428 00:29:59,001 --> 00:30:01,001 Ray Bradbury's game, as a matter of fact. 429 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,000 So thanks for listening and we'll see you next week. And enjoy the sell-a-thon 430 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,001 for everybody who won. Drive safely and have a good weekend. Your name will be at 431 00:30:08,001 --> 00:30:10,000 the door. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.